The instant invention relates to methods and apparatus for handling bins and more particularly to such methods and apparatus which are used to transport bins from place to place.
There are a variety of situations in which an empty bin is filled with objects of one sort or another and thereafter the filled bin is replaced with an empty bin for filling of the new bin. One such situation is in the harvesting of domestic fowl. U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,588, issued to the inventor of the instant invention, discloses a method and apparatus for harvesting domestic fowl. As shown therein, a mobile structure includes apparatus which lifts chickens from the floor of a broiler house and deposits them into a coop. The coop may be supported by structure separate from the harvesting apparatus, as shown in the cited patent, or it may be supported by structure on the harvesting apparatus, as is presently practiced by the inventor. In any event, regardless of the manner in which the coop is supported, when it is filled with chickens it must be replaced with an empty coop.
In the prior art, a conventional forklift is used to pick up the full coop and move it to a location outside of the broiler house (typically the trailer of a truck). The forklift is then used to lift an empty coop (usually from the trailer of the truck on which the full coop was placed) and transport it to the harvesting apparatus in the broiler house.
Use of a forklift in this manner suffers from several deficiencies. During the time in which it takes the forklift to transport the full coop to the trailer, load an empty coop, and return to the harvester, there can be no harvesting of chickens since there is no coop in which the harvested chickens may be placed. Additionally, the forklift is required to make multiple trips between the harvester and the trailer where the coops are located in order to replace a full coop with an empty coop. Also, due to the large size of the coops, supporting the same on the forks of a conventional forklift does not provide as much coop stability as is desired for transporting a coop full of chickens.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for handling bins or coops which overcome the above-enumerated drawbacks in the prior art.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for handling coops or bins in which the time for replacing a full bin with an empty bin is greatly reduced.
It is another specific object of the instant invention to provide such a method and apparatus which enables replacing a full bin or coop with an empty bin or coop with only one trip to the location of the full coop.
It is yet another specific object of the invention to provide such a method and apparatus in which the bins or coops are firmly grasped for transport from place to place.
The instant invention includes a frame having a rotatable member mounted thereon. A first arm pair is mounted on the rotatable member for lifting a first bin. A second arm pair is mounted on the rotatable member for lifting a second bin. Means are provided for transporting the frame, and hence the bins when so lifted, from place to place.